Love Actually  Clique Version
by the fiery sage
Summary: Inspired by the movie with the same name: It's Chrismas time in Westchester and love actually is all around this year. Romance. Heartbreak. Crushes. Unrequited Love. Friendship. Family. All of these characters unite one way or another. AU.
1. Enchanted

**_I decided to pull out my Love Actually DVD and watch it for the sake that it's almost Christmas and I'm a hopeful romantic. Then, it hit me. Why don't I do a Love Actually version of the Clique? Haha I hope you give this a chance. Lots of plotlines are different so it won't exactly be like the movie. I hope you enjoy it! :) And I'll be putting up a Science & Faith chapter up in a few days so stay tuned. You guys rock! :D_**

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><p>Love Actually<p>

_**Chapter 1: Enchanted**_

Massie didn't know where to start. It was immediately after she'd arrived home. After all the hustle and bustle with baggage claim and checking herself out of the airport, she met her cousin Kemp where he leaned beside his Ford pickup. The winter air had no mercy on her currently unruly state. She was in desperate need of a hot shower once she'd arrived at her childhood home.

Childhood home... It still felt strange to call it that.

"Well well well…Look who decided to finally show here face around here again!" Her older cousin chuckled as he wrapped Massie into a huge embrace.

"My dear older cousin, I have missed you!" Massie laughed as she and Kemp carried her luggage to his car.

"I was surprised you didn't come home for Thanksgiving." Kemp noted as they drove back into Westchester for the reunion.

Massie had begun her college career at the University of Pennsylvania in September. She wasn't even halfway across the country and she had been nervous to be away from home. She adjusted pretty well after she decided to just be herself. Truth was, she had been so overwhelmingly busy with the pending musical that she signed up for at school that she couldn't come home. She did promise her parents that she would be home for Christmas so here she was.

Kemp was a few years older than his cousin and was currently engaged to Claire Lyons, the elementary school's first grade teacher. Kemp, coincidentally, worked at the same school, as the school's principal. That was how they met and lo and behold, they were getting married on Christmas Eve: one of the reasons why Massie couldn't miss her cousin's big day.

How it felt wonderful for her to come back home .Westchester hadn't changed much at all. After all, it'd only been a few months since she'd last been here. She lowered the car window of the passenger seat and let the winter breeze make her hair even more untamed. At that moment, she didn't care how she looked. She was happy to be home. Kemp played with the car stereo's dial and found a station that Massie hadn't heard in what felt like ages.

"Good afternoon, Westchester slash New York City! This is yours truly, Dylan Marvil! Here is Nickelback's 'When We Stand Together'!"

_Meanwhile…_

Dylan Marvil sighed as she played the next song at the local radio station. She bit her lip and fought the urge to check her phone. She gave into temptation and checked.

"Still no messages…" She muttered.

Her boss Skye laughed. "Still obsessing over that long awaited email, huh?"

The redhead nodded begrudgingly. "I haven't been able to sleep for the past few nights. It's driving me insane, Hamilton! You have no idea."

Her friend smirked. "Dyl, you are at the top of your senior class. Not to mention you've got a load of extracurricular activities under your sleeve: like this job that you are very close to losing if you don't get back to work!"

Dylan felt a bit more relieved and grinned. What was she worrying about? If Princeton didn't want her, she had thirteen other schools to hear from…

In late March…At the earliest, anyway.

She suppressed a shriek. The song she'd just put on had finished. She spoke into the microphone again.

"Well, it's that time of year again: Christmas! Try not to panic too much about the last-minute shopping and admitting your true feelings to the one you love. It's Christmas for God's sake! Do us all a favor and get it done!" She exclaimed, earning a thumbs-up from Skye.

_Meanwhile…_

"All right, guys! I hope you have a great Christmas break!" Claire Lyons exclaimed cheerfully as she got up from her desk and spoke to her students.

The children replied, "Thank you Miss Lyons!"

Claire laughed. The final bell of the day rang and the students scurried with their backpacks to the parking lot where their parents were waiting for them.

She sighed in satisfaction at having concluded classes on a positive note. However, the confused feelings she had been harboring with were now were resurfacing. She groaned as she laid her face against her wooden desk.

She loved him. She really did. She loved practically everything about her life. But she was terribly confused about how she'd break the news to Kemp. To everyone.

"Trouble in paradise?" A familiar voice came from the door.

Claire looked up to find her good friend Derrick leaning at the door, his casual smirk in place.

"Hey Derrick," Claire said as she organized some papers on her desk, "What brings you to this side of town? Shouldn't you be-"

"Working on speeches and having affairs with scantily clad women?" He furrowed his brows, his brown eyes glittering with humor.

"Well, yes." Claire nodded.

He erupted into laughter. "Your immunity to the dark side of me never fails to surprise me."

"Yeah yeah yeah…Now tell me, what are you doing here?" Claire asked as she got up and grabbed her purse.

"I just wanted to know if you would be interested in coming to see that 'New Year's Eve' movie that came out." He said blatantly.

"What?" Claire frowned. Derrick never wanted to see movies like that. Romantic comedies weren't in his vocabulary. Romance wasn't even in his vocabulary.

"You heard me. Now will you come with me? Yes or no?" Twenty-three year old candidate for Westchester's next mayor Derrick easily turned into a stubborn twelve-year-old."

"All right! All right!" Claire stubbornly said, a smile fighting to appear on her face.

_Meanwhile…_

Setting up an art gallery was a lot harder than Alicia Rivera had anticipated. She was not even an hour away from home but she was dying to get back. She missed her family and her friends.

She even missed his overly cocky attitude.

She sighed. Derrick Harrington only came back to haunt Alicia whenever she tuned in to the local news or when she was visiting home. She was studying at Columbia as a double major in Journalism and Art.

Speak of the devil.

"Young candidate running to become the next mayor of Westchester caught in a potential scandal: with an engaged woman!"

Alicia rolled her eyes. _What an idiot. He hasn't changed at all, that baseball playing Casanova._

"Alicia! The last of the paintings are waiting downstairs." Alicia's friend Winnie told her.

"Thanks Winnie! Do me a favor and please help me bring them upstairs?"

Once that was done, Alicia decided that the gallery was complete for tomorrow night's opening; she would only be a couple of days away from coming home.

However, she would be coming home once again…Without a boyfriend to accompany her.

She sometimes wondered. Was there something wrong with her? Was there something wrong with the guys who went to school with her? The second guess seemed much more likely.

She didn't bother losing hope. If Claire met Kemp at her job, then she was bound to find someone special just around the corner.

Around an unexpected, long anticipated corner, that is.

_Meanwhile…_

"Why do people bother getting married on Christmas Eve?" Harris Fisher asked. "I mean, we're supposed to be celebrating the holidays, not having to cower in fear for bridezilla."

Massie rolled her eyes. "Always the positive one, aren't you?"

"Sorry Massie but I just don't see why I have to be a part of the procession." Harris was frustrated. It wasn't really the idea of helping out for the wedding that bothered him. He was just cranky from having dealt with medical school for the past semester. Harris never got out as often anymore.

"Because, Harris, you've known Kemp for years! And you just so happened to have gone to high school with him! You should feel honored he even bothered asking!" Massie, who looked particularly beautiful standing by the fireplace, was wrapping presents.

Harris only sighed. He didn't need to feel anymore frustrated than he had at that moment.

Massie was barely out of high school. Harris was a college grad. It would never happen.

"Hey, at least Cam is being more mature about his than you are! And he's your younger brother!" Massie teased as she helped the Fishers with some their Christmas decorating. It had been two days since she'd arrived to Westchester. She had never felt more at home. Yet she'd never felt more grown up and independent.

Harris was plopped on the couch while Massie was sitting on the carpet, finishing with her gift wrapping.

Harris scratched his head and stretched as Massie leaned over him to reach for some ornaments to put on the Christmas tree. He coughed uncomfortably. The proximity between them made Harris feel something that he wasn't prepared to admit to himself.

Massie turned her face towards him. "What?" She grinned, seemingly oblivious.

Harris laughed uncomfortably. "Nothing. It's just…You've grown a lot over the years."

Massie felt scrutinized under his intense, green-eyed stare. She flushed. "It happens."

Cam's car horn sounded from outside, announcing his arrival from New York City.

He chuckled at the fact that she had gotten uncomfortable. "Let's go see the presents Cam brought for us."

_Meanwhile…_

"Landon, now that you and I are movie stars…Who are you going to have a Christmas fling with at home?" Olivia asked Landon Crane with a playful grin on her face.

The curly haired boy almost choked on his coffee. "What?"

Landon and Olivia just wrapped up their latest film, _A Trip with Destiny_ and were taking a train ride from Toronto to New York City.

Olivia laughed. "So you have been thinking about someone. Or else you would've just laughed along with me. You know that I wasn't serious…Right?" She raised a plucked eyebrow.

Landon felt awkward. He and Olivia had starred in three movies together the past two years. They were best friends since they started out in the movie business. But he wasn't prepared to open up to Olivia about his past.

"There is someone I've wanted to see again." Landon admitted.

The buttery blonde-haired beauty giggled. "I knew it! Who is she? Does she look like anyone we know?"

"You will get to meet her and see for yourself!" Landon was exasperated.

Olivia pouted. "That's it? You're not gonna tell me about her?"

Landon shook his head. "Nope. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep." He closed his eyes and his dreams were of a girl with fiery red hair and a laugh that reached out to his soul.

_Meanwhile…_

Layne Abeley took a shower to knock some sense into her. What had gone on between her and Josh was simply…A friendship that they were able to catch up on. It was nothing more.

So what if his dark eyes and dark hair were a deadly combination that she wouldn't have minded exploring?

So what if his jokes matched her sinister sense of humor?

So what if she ran into him at the mall yesterday when she had to buy a scarf because she needed a new one?

It meant absolutely nothing. It wasn't fate. It was merely coincidental.

How could it be fate that they met at her favorite shop at the mall, which turned out to be a pretty eccentric shop: The Escapades?

She and Josh had never had mutual friends. They simply knew each other from the classes they had together. Fortunately, they were friends and they relied upon each other occasionally but since graduation, they haven't kept in touch so it was strange to have met him at The Escapades. Of all places, for God's sake!

"Christopher Garrett Abeley, where are you? And why on earth are you not answering your phone?" Layne's mom shrieked from the living room.

Her mom's screaming had knocked her out of her stupor.

_Uh oh, looks like Chris is in trouble…This should be interesting. _

But Layne didn't dare go to the living room to eavesdrop on her conversation. She didn't need her mom giving her unnecessary hell.

It was funny how Chris hadn't taken up Layne's offer on giving him a ride home. She wondered what that boy was up to.

A few minutes passed and her mom knocked at her door.

"Layne?" Her mom, Peyton, looked really worried and tense. Layne didn't like where this was going.

"Chris didn't answer his phone?" Layne asked, brushing her damp dark brown hair.

"No and that's what worries me," Peyton frowned as she ran her hands through her ponytail hair.

"I'm sure he's just doing some last minute shopping. Maybe I can try calling him?" Layne offered.

Her mom nodded. "I'll get to work on the gingerbread. Let me know if anything happens." She left for the kitchen.

Layne dialed her brother's number and tapped her foot impatiently on the floorboards.

_Fucking voicemail: "Hey! You've reached Chris's cell phone! As you can probably tell…I'm not here right now…Uh, leave a message, will ya?_

After the beep, Layne did leave a message. She took a deep breath and exhaled.

"I'm pretty sure my message won't even compare to mom's hysterical one so I'll get straight to the point…Mom's about burst from worrying so much. Where are you? You've got us thinking your body's at the bottom of a lake somewhere. Please call back!"

_Meanwhile…_

Chris Abeley wanted to slap himself repeatedly for forgetting his phone back at his dorm.

But at that moment, nothing else mattered for he was gazing into the eyes of the girl he'd never thought he'd have a chance with.

He'd been in love with her since he met her in high school. And now that they reunited again and were better friends, he was ready to become something more with Skye.

And at last, she was willing to give him a chance.

"Shouldn't you be at home with your family?" Skye asked. "I don't want to keep you." She avoided his eyes as she played with her bracelet.

"I should. And you're not keeping me from them. I'm here because I want to be with you. A little family time is a sacrifice I'm willing to make." He took her hand into his and squeezed it.

Skye frowned, still not meeting his gaze. She was frustrated about something. Chris was anxious to figure it out what was nagging at her.

But before he could ask, she said something that caught him off-guard.

"Why do you like me?" She blurted.

Chris smiled at her question, although the question got him nervous. "What do you mean? Why would you ask that?"

"You could be going out with someone your own age. Why are you so persistent that I go out with you?" She looked down at her knees. The two of them were sitting on a bench by a bus stop that was only a few miles from downtown Westchester.

Chris's heart fell. He thought that she was finally convinced that they could be together. The age difference didn't even matter anymore. He was twenty and she was twenty-three. He didn't understand what the problem was.

"Skye, we're pretty much the same age now. I mean, I wouldn't blame you if I was fourteen and you were seventeen…But things are different now. We're different now. Why can't you see that?"

Skye hesitated. Her eyes were holding back tears. She breathed in and out deeply. "This is just so different for me. How could I fall for someone that's younger me? It just seems so…unusual…Can't you try to put yourself into my shoes? It's different when girls go out with younger guys…"

Chris sighed. "What? Don't tell me you'd feel like a sexual predator by going out with me…"

Skye was silent, only proving that Chris's idea was spot-on.

"You can't be serious…" Chris was hurt.

She avoided his eyes. A few tears fell down her rosy cheeks.

"Skye…" Chris wanted to make things right. He wanted to be with her. But how was he going to convince her of that?

"If you say things are different, then you'll at least try to understand." She said dismissively. She started walking back over to her car and she hung the hood of her jacket over head, covering her pixie cut. Chris remembered when they were younger and she had never have dreamed of cutting off her long locks. Things had changed.

He just needed to prove that to her.

_Meanwhile…_

For Kristen Gregory, it felt good to be back on the familiar territory of Westchester High's soccer field. She dribbled her soccer ball for what felt like hours until she collapsed onto the snow that had covered the grass.

She looked up at the sky. It felt nice to be home. She had enjoyed the chaos she had found in her freshman year at Penn but it felt nice to unwind in the place she had known for so long.

"Kris, what are you doing here?" She heard a voice after the longest silence.

She slowly opened her eyes and got herself up, turning to the direction the voice came from. She found her best friend grinning at her.

"Cam!" She squealed as she ran up and jumped into his arms.

He chuckled, his deep voice sending shivers up her spine. She had always liked Cam more than she would admit but she always believed they were better friends. She didn't want to risk that. She was content with the way things were.

"How are you?" He asked as he put her down and they sat on the bleachers to catch up.

"I've been pretty good. Haven't seen my folks yet since they're at work but they promised they would drive home as fast as they could once they were done. I told them it was fine. I thought I wasn't going to see anyone I knew here."

"Why didn't you come over to our place? You know you're always welcome there." He said warmly, causing her to happily blush.

"I just wanted to see if this place was any different. I was right. It hasn't changed at all." Kristen giggled.

Cam nodded in agreement.

Kristen then asked, "How about you? How's life in NYC?"

"As the saying goes, the city never sleeps. I've gotten more sleep in the past couple of days than I have in months in Columbia." He chuckled.

"I'll take your word for it." Kristen agreed. She could relate. Penn was pretty rough with its rigorous coursework. That's what she Kristen asked for, wanting to go med in an Ivy League.

They caught up with each other. They talked about soccer, soccer, Radiohead, how crappy Disney Channel had become, college life, soccer, boys at Penn, soccer, girls in Columbia, and more soccer. It wasn't until the soccer conversation had gone on too long that they decided to get personal.

Cam offered Kristen a ride home after they both realized they'd talked all the way to sunset. She accepted.

_Meanwhile…_

Chris Plovert awaited his best friend Olivia at Grand Central Station in New York City. The temperature was intensely cold. The crowds of people were very close to going insane from the shopping madness. People rejoiced at reuniting with one another.

It wasn't until someone surprised him with a giant hug from behind.

She whispered into his ear, "Did ya miss me?" She laughed.

"Livvy!" Chris exclaimed.

"You know, the glasses were cute. But you're seriously rocking those contacts." She nodded in approval.

Chris had just noticed the boy that trailed behind Olivia. It was actor Landon Crane. He was about to get star struck. It was enough of a shock that his best friend was a movie star but getting to meet her celebrity friends? The excitement was just too overwhelming.

"You must be Chris." Landon nodded and grinned. Chris shook hands with him.

Chris said, "It's an honor to meet you."

Landon laughed. "I wish there were more fans like you."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "You wish you had more fans."

They began bickering, making Chris snicker.

The three of them decided to have some lunch at Chris's favorite place to eat: Baxter's.

Chris's friend, Dune served as their waiter. "What can I get for you guys?" Olivia's jaw dropped at the sight of him.

After they all took their orders, the teasing began.

"He is drop dead beautiful!" Olivia hissed at them. "Excuse me for appreciating that."

"You were about to let bucketfuls of drool out of your mouth." Chris said, making Landon laughed.

"That was brilliant." Landon nodded.

Olivia frowned.

A while later, Dune had brought back their orders, not having realized that Olivia was flirting with him. He raised an eyebrow at Chris once he'd realized it.

Chris and Landon laughed again while Olivia madly chewed on her grilled chicken sandwich.

Then, the door to the restaurant opened and Chris's heart almost stopped at the sight of who just came in.

It was none other than Dempsey Solomon, his neighbor at the apartment he lived in. Chris's blue-green eyes met Dempsey's army-green ones. He immediately grew a tad self-conscious.

Olivia knew that he was gay but he wasn't sure if Olivia had mentioned that to Landon. He only hoped that she had.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. My meeting ran a bit late." Dempsey apologized as he took the seat next to Olivia. He smiled.

Chris returned his smile. "No problem. Dempsey, this is Olivia and this is Landon."

"Whoa," Dempsey said as he finally and really looked at Chris's famous friends, "I didn't know you knew Olivia Ryan and Landon Crane. You never brag about it. If I had celebrity friends, I would holler it out to the rest of the world."

Everyone knew that he was joking so they all laughed.

Things seemed to turn out a lot better than expected. When Dempsey excused himself to use the restroom, Chris asked Olivia, "What do you think?"

"He's very cute." Olivia winked at Chris. "How come you guys aren't going out yet?"

That's what Chris was afraid she might ask.

"Well…" He began.

"Oh no," Olivia panicked, "You mean…"

"I'm not sure if he's gay or not…"

"WHAT?" Olivia and Landon exclaimed.

Chris felt relieved that Landon had known all along and that he seemed to be cool with it but now that the truth came out, he knew Olivia was going to give him hell for it.

"But…You would've been able to figure out if he was gay or not…" Olivia said.

"It's not like we're roommates, Liv. I don't spend day and night with the guy." Chris was exasperated.

Landon took a sip of his iced tea. "Maybe you ask him."

"WHAT?" Chris exclaimed.

"Landon's right." Olivia nodded, then muttered, "For once."

Landon avoided rolling his eyes at that and continued. "It wouldn't hurt."

"Of course it would! It would jeopardize our friendship." Chris said.

Landon sighed. "Look, if you really like him that much, then you can't just keep going on like this. If you want something more, you're going to have to take action."

Chris, despite how reluctant he was, knew that the celebrity was right.

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><p><strong><em>Song title: Enchanted by Taylor SwiftEnchanted by Adam Young_**


	2. Moonlit

_**You're looking at someone who has watched Love Actually three times this week. I hope you enjoy! Please review! Happy holidays! :) And wah, this is the longest chapter I've ever written in my fanfiction history! :O**_

_**I LOVE ONE DIRECTION. =3 Happy Birthday Louis Tomlinson!**_

__ SHOUTOUT to: Would-You-Go-With-Me and DDD santa the ocean floor: Thank you for the reviews! :)

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 2: Moonlit<strong>_

"It is with great honor that I present Westchester's new mayor: Derrick James Harrington!" The former mayor said as he shook hands with Derrick Harrington. Of course, former Mayor Ruiz wasn't exactly thrilled about a man as young and daring as Derrick taking his place. Derrick only chuckled as he shook hands with the thirty-five year old.

Derrick had just been elected as the mayor of Westchester. According to his newly hired staff and assistants, he had to maintain a low profile if he wanted to stick with the job. He realized that becoming mayor possessed a load of responsibilities, which didn't include partying, unfortunately.

So this was what he got for trying to achieve power. He guessed with power came responsibility as Spiderman had said.

He actually did get to celebrate with his family and friends, though.

His sister Sammi threw him a huge party back at their parents' place once they left city hall. Sammi worked as an extravagant party planner so of course, Derrick's parents got the family discount.

The lights that hung around the trees in Derrick's backyard reminded Derrick of the parties he and his sister used to throw when they were teenagers. He suddenly felt nostalgic and rather strange.

Kristen ran up to him, a smug grin on her face. "Hi."

Derrick raised a brow. "Yes? Can I help you?"

She scoffed. "Are you serious, Derrick? I came all the way over here to congratulate you for becoming mayor and this is how you treat me: like an obsessive stalker fan? What a waste of a human being, dear God."

He chuckled. Kristen had been his neighbor for years. Kristen had always come to Derrick for advice throughout their childhood.

He hugged her. "You know I joke a lot, right? How have you been?"

Kristen moved some hair away from her eyes. "I've been well. College has been…uh, extremely difficult: exactly what I wanted it to be."

"But you've got Massie with you? It shouldn't be too bad."

Kristen nodded. "She's a lot better under pressure than I am." When Kristen panicked over an essay she'd been slaving at for an entire week, Massie would usually be calmer with the same assignment.

Derrick widened his eyes skeptically. "You'd be surprised."

"Massie?" Kristen asked dubiously, "I would never picture her as someone who's high-maintenance…"

Massie walked in with Harris and Cam. They waved at Kristen and Derrick and headed over to grab some drinks.

"Have you seen her getting involved in the wedding plans? I have never seen her so…bossy."

"I find that very hard to believe." Kristen scoffed.

Then again, it sort of made sense. Massie loved weddings. She had been talking about it non-stop since they'd landed. It wouldn't exactly surprise Kristen that Massie had gotten passionate about the wedding plans.

Derrick decided to change the subject once he'd realized who else they'd just seen. "And the quest for a boyfriend is not a priority then?" He joked.

His (practically) sister stared down at her feet. "Nope. Probably won't be for a while."

"What about Fisher? When are you guys going to give it a go?" He knew there was something between Kristen and Cam. He played soccer with Cam and Kristen for years and anyone who didn't see the chemistry between the two of them must have been blind.

Kristen blushed. She shook her head, thinking it would help. "For your information, Cam and I are best friends. That's it. Plus, he's going out with that…thing he calls a human being."

Derrick chuckled as Kristen tried to stop herself from fuming. "Why don't you tell him how you feel? You know he had to settle for Becca when you didn't show any interest. Amazing acting, Gregory. You should be nominated for an Oscar for all of those years of pretending you didn't love him."

Gaping in shock at the mayor, Kristen stomped her foot on Derrick's foot, causing alarm at Derrick's party. He groaned in pain. She walked away, shaking her head and grinning.

"Mr. Harrington." Someone had said as she tapped him lightly on his shoulder.

Derrick turned around once the pain from his foot eased up. He stood up normally again and was surprised to see who wanted to speak to him.

"No way...Alicia?" Derrick's jaw dropped.

She had her arms crossed against her chest. She looked determined yet very stiff.

"Good to see you again, Derrick." She said, oozing confidence when really, she was trying very hard not to tremble from the nerves of seeing him again. However, considering how oblivious Derrick Harrington always was, she didn't worry about him noticing how nervous she was.

Derrick grinned at her. The last time he'd seen Alicia was at their graduation.

_Graduation had ended. All of the students tossed their caps into the air. Everyone rejoiced. They hugged each other and took pictures._

Derrick had felt great. He was psyched about the party his family and friends were throwing. He finished high school, heading to Georgetown in the fall, and doing what he wanted to do.

What he didn't expect was Alicia walking towards him. She seemed upset...No, that wasn't it. She seemed anxious. Like she wanted to say something important to him.

"Hey." She said, cracking a smile.

"Hey." I smiled. Derrick remembered they had gone to prom together not even a week ago.

"Um, well..." She fumbled with her fingers. It was cute, he had to admit.

Derrick only smiled at her with a quizzical look on his face.

"Derrick, getting to know you has made this year spectacular. I-"

"Hey, man!" Derrick's best friend Griffin slapped his back. Strawberry and Kori were right behind Griffin. Kori was Derrick's ex-girlfriend but rumor had it that they were more than likely getting back together.

Derrick hugged his friends and had a small conversation with them but he made an effort not to exclude Alicia.

What Derrick hadn't realized was that Alicia had felt discouraged. Who was she kidding? She and Derrick were going separate ways. They hung out with completely different people. He probably would laugh at her if she told him what she had meant to tell him.

When Derrick's friends left, he asked Alicia, "Sorry about that. What was it that you were going to say, Alicia?"

Alicia blushed stubbornly, making up her mind. "I am really going to miss you. That's all."

_Derrick smiled at her and hugged her. "I'm going to miss you, too."_

"You've changed so much." Derrick observed as he took the chance to gaze at her. She wore a beautiful black dress that went down to her mid-thighs. Her heels made her a few inches taller but she had still stayed as petite as ever, making Derrick smile.

"So have you." Alicia nodded, raising an eyebrow. She felt a little uncomfortable as Derrick looked at her. It wasn't that she wasn't flattered. She thought he looked sexier than ever in that damned tuxedo. He looked better than he did at prom and let her tell you, he looked drop dead gorgeous that night.

"I mean, of course, not in a bad way. I mean, you look great. Uh, I mean, not like you didn't look great in high school." Derrick rambled but he thankfully didn't feel too embarrassed. Why would he feel embarrassed?

He'd seen Alicia do something he hadn't ever seen her do: she smiled in relief.

"Me, too." She laughed.

Alicia almost forgot how easy it could be to talk to Derrick and not get tongue-tied. Now that the years have passed, her pathetic crush on him was gone. She decided to ask him what she came up to him for.

"Derrick, I'm sorry to bother you and bring this up all of a sudden…" Alicia began as she tugged at the hum of her black satin dress' skirt.

However, Derrick had grown nostalgic all evening that he remembered their graduation night. He remembered Alicia had something to tell him and the more mature part of him knew that it wasn't that she wanted to say she would miss him. She could've said that anytime. She had been nervous, after all.

How could he have been so idiotic as to not ever wonder? What could Alicia have wanted to tell him?

Of course, being so busy and caught up in everything that happened after high school up to today seemed like a pretty solid excuse for his stupidity.

And he was wondering if she were going to bring it up.

"Derrick?" Alicia piped up.

"Yes?" He asked, suddenly embarrassed. He had spaced out for a moment with all those ideas in his head.

"Would you please let me interview you?" She asked.

"Come again?" He asked. What does that have to do with what she was going to say graduation night?

"I work for the newspaper at my school: Columbia. And my editor has been up in my case trying to get me to interview you."

"But why you?" Derrick couldn't help but asking. It all seemed too coincidental.

Alicia said, "She found out that I knew you."

"How?" He blurted.

Alicia blushed. "Um…Well, I was on Facebook the other day and he happened to catch me while I was on your profile…"

Derrick saw how that would make sense.

"So he figured if I knew you, then I could meet up with you and get an exclusive for our paper." Alicia had never felt more humiliated. She tried to cover up her stalker-like appearance by trying to make things a bit clearer. She didn't even want to know what was going through Derrick's head.

So she thought about him too, he thought. He thought he was the only that looked up alumni. Truth be told, Derrick thought Alicia had been one of the coolest girls in their grade. She was funny and smart. She was extremely talented and cute.

_Cute, huh?_ Derrick never was able to put thoughts into words whenever he thought of Alicia. He hadn't been able to think about her much senior year because he'd had practice, college applications, and a girlfriend, Kori. However, he'd broken up with Kori a few months before graduation. He remembered hearing rumors about Kori wailing in the girls' bathroom about not having access to prom or having rides to school anymore. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know what he ever saw in her.

"So…what do you think?" Alicia asked after what felt like the longest silence.

Derrick cleared his throat. "Sure, I'll do it."

Alicia's face washed over with relief. "Really? That's great! Thank you so much!" She was smiling.

Her smile was contagious so he grinned at her. They hugged each other.

When they let go of each other, Derrick looked into Alicia's eyes and felt a weird jolt in his heart.

Alicia was going to punish herself when she got home. Her feelings for him weren't as repressed as she thought they'd been. They were resurfacing.

_Meanwhile…_

"Kemp..." Claire Lyons gripped her best friend's hands tightly with her own. "I have leukemia."

Skye squeezed Claire's hands. "You see? It wasn't that hard. You shouldn't be afraid to tell him."

Claire and Skye have been friends since childhood. Sometimes people have mistaken them as actual sisters because of their blonde hair and navy blue eyes. However, they couldn't be anymore different. Claire loved to study. Skye loved to dance. Somehow, they were able to get along pretty well. Claire was visiting Skye at her apartment.

Claire sighed. "But I'm getting married to him in two weeks. Marrying someone who is going to die in a matter of months isn't exactly the lifetime commitment he had in mind." She couldn't believe it. When she made the appointment to see her doctor, she was expecting her problems with sleeping and was coughing insanely to be from the common cold. When the doctor said she had chronic leukemia, she couldn't believe it.

She began shaking uncontrollably as she let some tears fall. "I just can't believe I've had it for so long. I mean, how could I not have known?"

Skye hugged her friend. "I did some research last night. Your case of leukemia isn't as severe. You still have a fighting chance."

Claire sighed. "I'm just afraid that he won't take the news as I hoped he would."

Skye shrugged. "Well, you don't know that. You love him, don't you?'

Claire was about to cry from all the frustration. She nodded.

"If you wait any longer to tell him, he'll be more heartbroken." Skye said as she ran her hands through her hair.

Claire knew that she was right. She had to tell him.

Plus, there was a chance that she could survive. She had to make sure Kemp knew that. She loved him and she wanted to get married to him. She just hoped he felt the same way.

Skye's phone started ringing. Claire noticed her friend's face turning a bit odd as she checked the caller ID. Skye blushed and shook her head. She let the phone keep ringing until it reached her answering machine.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Claire frowned.

Skye almost forgot that Claire had been right next to her. "Huh? Oh, that? No." Skye shook her head frantically.

Claire smiled warily.

Skye's answering machine played: _"Hey! You've reach Skye Hamilton's answering machine. I'm not here at the moment but leave a message and your info if need be so I can get back to you. Later!"_

Her machine beeped and her heart skipped a beat when she heard his voice.

"_Hey. I was hoping we could meet tonight because there were still some things we needed to talk about. And I just wanted to know if you were okay…Well, please call me back. See you soon. I hope anyways."_

When the message had ended, Claire's sullen mood had shifted to that of a meddling friend. "Skye! Who was that? He's obviously madly in love with you!"

Skye gaped at Claire. "No way!" She denied.

Claire glared at her, raising a brow.

Skye felt scrutinized under her gaze.

"So…what's his name?" Claire asked.

Skye knew she couldn't get around this. Plus, she had been desperate to talk to someone about her dilemma with Chris. Claire seemed like the best person.

She began, "Well, his name's Chris: Chris Abeley."

_Meanwhile…_

"Okay, people. We need to make sure the playlist for the wedding is completely done!" Massie Block clapped.

Harris suppressed an eye roll. He knew Massie was intentionally doing that to annoy him, considering there weren't any other people besides them at her house.

"Come on, Harris. Just this one last thing and then we can do what you want." Massie said convincingly as she tugged on his sleeve. He met her eyes and she smiled at him.

He rolled his eyes and grinned back. "All right. All right."

They sat down on the plush carpet and checked the list of songs they made sure was going to play at the reception for Claire and Kemp's wedding.

"Lifehouse..." Harris saw the name of one of his favorite songs by the band on Claire's list. "Good choice."

Harris handed Massie the list so she could see it. "I was hoping she'd put that song on here. It's one of my favorites."

"Let me guess," Harris began, "You danced to that with the dreamy high school quarterback at prom."

Massie tossed her head back and laughed sarcastically. "No." She said bluntly. "For your information, I went to prom with Todd Lyons."

"Really?" Harris raised his eyebrows. "I didn't know you guys…"

"We didn't." Massie rolled her eyes at Harris in disapproval as she checked some of the songs on Kemp's list. "Todd's girlfriend dumped him. I had no one I was particularly interested in. It only seemed right for us to go together."

"I see." Harris nodded.

A tense silence had followed. Massie sighed as she looked through of the CDs in her collection.

"You know, I was in town for that weekend. You could've just asked me to go with you."

Massie couldn't believe what Harris had just said to her. Was she dreaming?

"You're joking."

Harris shook his head. "I'm not. I wasn't seeing anybody. You're my little bro's best friend. I would've done it."

Massie shoulders slumped. "Oh, right."

Harris knew he said something wrong. He saw a disappointed look on his friend's face.

He was surprised when Massie looked up at him with a look that almost scared him.

Massie gazed at Harris longingly. She batted her eyelashes lightly so as not to look like an idiot. She leaned towards him.

And kissed him.

Harris was taken by surprise. The rational side of him wanted him to let go but his heart told him not to let go. He wasn't upset. In fact, it seemed like he was waiting for this to happen for the longest time.

Massie wrapped her arms around his neck. Harris caressed her face. The kiss was almost perfect. It could've been perfect if not for Massie's dog watching them. Bean barked.

Massie and Harris let go and found Bean watching them. Massie blushed. Harris scratched the back of his head.

_Meanwhile…_

Chris Plovert sighed in frustration. He stirred his hot chocolate, sitting at the counter at Baxter's.

Dune walked over to him. "What's wrong with you? You seem pretty upset about something."

Chris looked up at the cheeky blond. He laughed. "Not really. I'm just sort of confused about someone, that's all."

Dune frowned. "Oh? Well, is there anything I can do to help?"

Chris scratched his short brown hair. "I'm sure you have never had problems in the dating department."

Dune was stunned. "Excuse me?"

Chris realized what he'd just said and laughed. "Sorry, what I meant to say was that you never seem to have problems with dating. Then again, I wouldn't know. People say I'm a great judge of character, though."

Dune looked at him skeptically. "Really?"

Chris shook his head and smiled. "I know it's hard to believe but anyway, I've liked someone for a while now. I know him pretty well, but I just don't know how to tell him.

Dune almost perked up at his having said that, Chris noticed. Dune knew that Chris was gay so Chris didn't feel uncomfortable asking him for relationship advice. Dune had always been a good friend, ever since Chris moved to the city.

The blond wiped the counter as he listened attentively to his friend.

"You know Dempsey, right?" Chris asked.

Dune eyed him warily for a second but Chris hadn't noticed. "Yeah. He's all right."

Chris sighed. "I already decided that I would tell him, but the thing is…I have no idea how to put it into words." He laughed nervously. "It's funny. Me being gay and all and I have no idea how to put my thoughts into words."

Dune laughed with him. "Trust me, there's not ever a perfect way to say things. You've just gotta make sure your feelings come across to the person you're talking to. Just do what you've gotta do and everything else will fall into place somehow."

Chris was attentive to everything his friend had said. Why was he being so dramatic? It was all so simple. Just tell the guy how you feel. It isn't the end of the world if he doesn't feel the same way.

"Thanks Dune!" Chris felt a surge of energy go through him. He paid for his hot chocolate and ran out of the restaurant.

And would anyone believe it? Chris almost ran into Dempsey on his way to look for him at his apartment.

"Dempsey!" Chris said.

Dempsey grinned. "Hey, Chris. How's it going?"

"Great." Chris reassured himself. "How about you?"

"Fine. Actually, I was looking for you because I wanted to talk to you about something."

Chris's heart started racing. Could this be it?

"Sure." Chris nodded as Dempsey led him back into the diner.

Chris noticed Dune watching them. Dune met Chris's eyes and gave him a thumbs up.

They sat down at a booth. Dempsey cut to the chase. "Hey, I know this seems sudden but…"

Here it comes, Chris thought.

"Is your friend Olivia seeing anybody?" Dempsey asked.

An avalanche could've been coming their way and Chris wouldn't have noticed. He was shocked. What? Had he heard him right?

Dempsey adjusted his beanie. "Yeah. I think she's pretty cool and I wanted to ask her out. Of course, since you two are best friends, it made sense to ask you for your approval."

_Absolutely fucking not!_

Chris held in a deep breath and exhaled as if his life depended on it. "I don't see a problem with you asking her out."

"Really?" Dempsey was oblivious to how heartbroken and disappointed Chris was.

Chris almost choked. "You have my blessing."

Dempsey was about as joyful as a little boy on Christmas Day. For such a cool guy, he never looked so stupid, Chris thought bitterly. "Thanks, Chris! I've gotta go and find her! I'll see you around!"

Chris was left at the booth, kicking under the table pretending Dempsey's shins were there.

_Meanwhile…_

Dylan Marvil was flipping through her AP Biology Exam Prep book. "And Mrs. Clyde said that flipping through some pages for half an hour a day would help. Right…" She said skeptically as she yawned. She was plopped onto her bed, relaxing.

She took a break and logged on to her laptop. She went onto YouTube and found that the trailer for _A Trip with Destiny_ was released. Her old friend and childhood crush Landon was starring in it. She got chills when she saw him on television or in a movie trailer whenever she went to the movies. She was amazed at how much he liked to keep in touch. Besides the fact that they were best friends, Landon was madly in love with her older sister, Jaime.

Landon had always been handsome and charming. While most guys in Westchester went out of their way to impress girls, they played soccer or baseball. Landon was different. He got into the drama department and journalism. He even tampered with some ideas for songs. He was extremely talented.

It didn't surprise her that he would soon enough become discovered.

His latest movie was about his character Austin catching a train to go up to Maine to see his family. He ends up meeting a free-spirited girl named Destiny who changes his life. They fall in love but Destiny's secret is what could split them up forever.

According to Hollywood's best sources, Landon co-wrote the screenplay for the movie. Dylan was psyched for her good friend.

Her parents were out for an early dinner while her sisters were out doing some last minute shopping. Dylan was proud of herself for thinking ahead and getting the shopping out of the way weeks ago.

She heard pebbles being tossed at her window.

"How Rapunzel-like…" Dylan began as she walked over to her window. She pulled it up and looked down to see Landon waiting for her.

"Landon!" Dylan gaped. "What are you doing here?" Does he want to be attacked by mobs of fans? Did he know that his biggest fans lived next door: twelve-year-old twins Ally and Maddy Tomlinson?

Landon coughed a bit from the cold. "Can I come in?" He asked.

Realizing that she was attracting attention to herself by speaking loudly from the window, Dylan said, "Just give me a sec to come downstairs!" She closed her window and ran down to let him in.

She opened the door to him and jumped into his arms.

"It's great to see you, too, Dylan!" Landon laughed as he hugged her back.

Landon put her down on her feet and she let him in.

"This place hasn't changed much." He nodded as he took his coat off and placed it on one of the hangers.

Dylan, all of a sudden, felt nostalgic. It seemed like it was just yesterday when Landon dropped by to help her coordinate the school's talent show before his graduation.

"What brings you back here?" Dylan asked as she led him into the kitchen.

"I'm here for the holidays. And I needed a favor from my best friend." He rubbed the top of her head, making her red hair frizzy.

Laughing, Dylan tugged at one of her messy pigtails. "Well, it was nice of you to visit. I'm gonna take a wild guess here…Does it have to do with Jaime?" Landon was best friends with Dylan's sisters, too but Dylan remembered that he was quite taken with Jaime.

A smile tugged at his lips. "How did you know?"

Dylan laughed. "Do you really want me to answer that question?"

Landon sighed as he sat down on the couch like he would've when he was still in high school, visiting the Marvils. "Is she seeing anyone?"

Dylan shook her head. "Old crushes die hard."

Landon sighed. "You can say that again."

_Meanwhile…_

Layne was doing grocery shopping with Cam. Considering that Layne and Kristen were cousins, she obviously knew Kristen more than most people. And she also knew Cam well enough to call him her best friend, as well.

"So…" Layne began as she got some ingredients for the cake that her mom was planning to bake. "You must be pretty psyched that your best friends are back in town, huh?"

Cam nodded. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" He grew suspicious fast.

"I'm not saying you wouldn't. You just seemed…"

"Well, seemed what?"

"You seemed a lot more attached to Kristen. And I'm not the only one who thinks that." Layne stared at the black haired boy carefully.

Cam laughed nervously. "Layne, I have a girlfriend…"

"And she happens to be a total ice princess if you pick up what I'm putting down." Layne raised her eyebrows.

Cam exhaled. "You don't know Becca like I do."

"No one has to know her like you do to figure out that she's a royal pain in the-"

"Hey, Cam!" Becca exclaimed as she found Layne and Cam in the frozen section of the supermarket.

Layne fought the urge to roll her eyes. She absolutely loathed Becca. Everyone disliked her. It's just that everyone didn't have the decency of letting her know that she was unwelcome, considering her father was one of the most generous benefactors in Westchester.

After some small talk, Layne decided to escape the couple. "Hey, I forgot a few things that my mom asked me to get so I'll meet you later. It was nice seeing you, Becca."

Layne let out a relieve sigh. "Thank God I got out of there."

"Fancy meeting you here, Layne."

Layne heard a charmingly deep voice and found Josh with his sister Lottie, who was handling the shopping cart.

"Josh! Hi." Layne managed to form some syllables.

He smiled. "Your parents made you go out shopping, too, huh?"

Lottie spat, "They might as well have sent me alone since I'm doing everything!"

Layne laughed. "Looks to me like you're not being the role model you're supposed to be."

Josh chuckled and touched Lottie's shoulder, whispering in her ear. A look of realization passed through her face. Lottie took the cart, waved goodbye to Layne, and headed off to another aisle.

"What was that about?" Layne asked, adjusting her beanie.

"I don't want Lottie here making fun of me when I ask you this: Do you have a date to Kemp and Claire's wedding?"

Layne almost forgot to breathe. "No, actually."

Josh shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at her. "Would you like to be my date?"

Layne breathed. "Absolutely."

_Meanwhile…_

"So, Daddy said his flight would arrive just in time for the benefit. He said he was bringing extra luggage. Do you know what that means?" Becca rambled on and on as Cam finished getting groceries.

Cam felt really exhausted, particularly after hearing Becca talk about herself for the past half hour. "No, not really."

"Silly!" She was oblivious to his bitterness. "He's bringing me back my Christmas present: a whole new wardrobe from Milan!"

It pretty much went on like this until Cam and Becca parted in the parking lot of the supermarket.

Cam wondered why he was still going out with her.

He thought there was substance within her but clearly, she had always been style over substance.

On his drive back home, he noticed a familiar dirty blonde jogging. He rolled down his car window and called out to her.

"Hey! Looks like you need a break. Hop on!" He boldly said.

Kristen smiled wide and hopped on into his passenger seat.

Once Kristen helped Cam with taking the groceries into his house, Cam offered her some lemonade. She downed a cup of it in seconds.

"Thank you!" She gasped.

Cam laughed. "How long have you been running?"

"A few hours." Kristen nodded.

Cam was impressed. "Why?"

"I wanted to get into shape." She said as she served herself some more lemonade.

Cam was skeptical. "But you look great!"

Kristen flushed, not believing a word he'd just said.

"Uh, sorry…If that made you uncomfortable."

Kristen stayed silent. Her heart rate was racing and ever since, she'd been getting closer to Cam, it was only getting worse.

"Kristen?" Cam asked.

She looked up at him.

"Would it make you feel better if I took what I said back?"

Kristen grew frustrated. She shook her head. She might as well tell him now. She was leaving in a few weeks. And if you can't tell the one you love at Christmas how you feel, then when can you?

"For the love of God, Cam, how long is it going to take for you to realize that…" Kristen was incensed with frustration.

Cam waited for her to finish but he was curious to know what she would say.

"I love you." She said.

When Cam stayed silent (because clearly he was surprised she felt this way), Kristen took that as his answer.

She ran out the door and ran back home.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Stay tuned for the next chapter! :) REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! HAHA XD. And if you love One Direction, please let me know. :)<em>**

**_Oh, and Josh's sister's name was inspired by Lottie Tomlinson, Louis's little sister. :)_**


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